By Heidi Mercer
The Social Work club is highlighting April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
I am now Director of Field Education for the social work department at Bluffton University, and I’ve worked in child welfare and anti-trafficking for over a decade. My work has spanned several states in the United States and also in the UK.
What I have learned over that time is the health outcomes for survivors is staggering. The more we talk about abuse and make it less of this dirty secret that survivors have to hold on to, the better. I believe this is a public health concern and something that is completely preventable. We must start talking!
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Since 1983, April has been designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
On April 8, the Social Work club, along with Shelly Conrad of Allen County Children Services, held a prevention ceremony to highlight child abuse. Attendees placed several pinwheels in the ground. Each pinwheel represents 12 child abuse reports.
In Allen County, there were 849 reports of child abuse for 2018. According to Allen County Children Services, child abuse can be defined as physical abuse (marks or injuries inflicted by non-accidental means), sexual abuse (any sexual activity between an adult and a child, including everything from fondling to rape), emotional abuse (consistent and chronic behavior which interferes with the psychological or social development of a child).
Neglect is another category that families can be reported for. Neglect is defined as physical neglect (failure to meet a child’s basic requirements such as supervision, housing, clothing, medical attention, nutrition and support) or emotional neglect (failure to provide the support or affection necessary for a child’s psychological and social development).
A report from the CDC estimated that long-term costs in the United States for a single year’s substantiated child abuse reports is about $124 billion.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
The Social Work club is also highlighting Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April with an event called Denim Day. Now in its 20th year, this event was started after the Italian Supreme Court made a decision to overturn a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans.
On April 24, people wear jeans to bring attention to the outcry over this the Italian Supreme Court decision. The social work club is encouraging other student organizations to decorate jeans to be hung in Marbeck the week of April 22.
According to the CDC facts on sexual violence, one in five women and one in 71 men experience rape at some time in their lives. Nearly one in five women experience attempted or completed sexual assault in college.
Further, the social work department has two seniors working in these respective fields. Taylor Good is currently interning at Allen County Children Services, and Katie Spalding is interning at Crime Victim Services. They have undoubtedly been influential in orchestrating these events.
If you need any support after reading this article, please reach out to your campus supports.
Heidi Mercer photo by Nathan Heinze
Heidi Mercer is assistant professor of social work and faculty advisor for the Social Work Club.
